Reading Response on "I Too" by Langston Hughes

    The poem, I Too by Langston Hughes, is about an African American man living in America. He is not treated equally or fairly according to the poem. He is treated like an outsider. This poem made me realize that segregation is a horrible thing, and it is only fair that everyone should be treated equally. The speaker also has an optimistic tone towards the end of the poem, implying that he will make things better.
  As I said before, segregation is an unfair and horrible thing. In the poem, the speaker is being sent to eat in the kitchen. "They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes" (Hughes 3). This shows that the speaker is being sent to eat in the kitchen because he is African American. This is an example of segregation because he is being made eat in the kitchen because of the color of his skin.
He is not only being treated like an animal or something worthless but also as if he did not have feelings.
    The speaker feels that no matter anybody's skin color, everybody should be treated equally and fairly. In the poem, the speaker repeats the phrase "I Too" in the beginning and end of the poem. In the beginning he says, "I, Too, sing America" (Hughes 1). In the end of the poem he says, "I, Too, am America" (Hughes 18).  Repeating this means that it is important. It shows that he feels that he should be treated like every other American. That he should have the same rights as everybody else, and that he is human just like everybody else.
  The speaker speaks in an optimistic tone towards the end of the poem. He is optimistic that in the future everyone will be treated equally. He talks about the future in an optimistic tone. "Tomorrow, I'll be at the table when company comes, nobody'll dare say to me 'Eat in the kitchen,' Then" (Hughes 8-14). This shows the way he feels about the future. He is very positive that in the future everyone will be treated equally no matter the color of their skin.
    This text connects to the world because, segregation has happened a lot and most likely still happens in some places in the world. This is a very sensitive topic and it has affected many lives in America. This poem connects to segregation because it is about an African American man being treated unfairly even though he also is an American.



                                     Works Cited
 
    Hughes, Langston. " I Too." Poetry Packet. Print.